Automatic temperature regulator for internal-combustion engines



Feb. 6, 1923. 1,443,978

W. C. CARTER. AUTOMATIC TEMPERATURE REGULATOR FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES.

FILED APR. 30, I918.

Patente Feb. 6,1923.

VVIIIIJLIAJII C. CARTEIE, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

AUTOMATIC TEMPERATURE REGULATOR r03 m'rarman-comatrsTronENGINES.

Application file d April a0, 1918. ser'iaiiidi 531,659.

To all whom it may Be it known that 1, WILLIAM C. CARTER,

a citizen of the United States, residing at' Louis, Missouri, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Automatic Temperature Regulators for Internal-Combustion Engines, of. which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, such as will enable others, skilled in the art to which it appertains, to make and'use the same.

This invention relates to internal combustion engines of the kind that comprise a shutter mechanism or similar means for controlling the supply of air used to absorb heat from the heat radiating means of the engine, and an automatically-operating means for controlling said shutter mechanism so as to increase or decrease the supply of air as the temperature of the engine varies.

One object of my invention is to provide lator that consumes very little electric current and which is so constructed that there is no possibility of the circuit controlhng means remaining in such a'condition that the energizing circuit will remain closed long enough to exhaust the battery.

And stillanother object is to provide an internal combustion engine which has an efiicient temperature regulator of simple construction that comprises a shutter mechanism or similar means for controlling the passage of air through the radiator'of the cooling system, a mechanical means for holding the shutters or slats of said mechanism in adjusted position, an electrically-operated means for moving said shutters or slats and a thermostat governed circuit controlling means constructed in such a manner that the circuit which energizes said electrically-operated means w1ll be opened automatically each time said means effects a change in the position of said shutter mechanism. Other objects and desirable features oftmy invention will be hereinafter pointed oui igure '1 of the drawings is a front elevational new of an automatic temperature regulator for internal combustion engines constructed in accordance with my invention.

lilgure 2 is a vertical sectional view of sald regulator, showing it applied to a radlator that forms part of the water cooling system of the engine.

lgure 3 is a rear elevational view of the regulator.

Figure 4 is a perspective View of one of the slats or shutters of the shutter mechanism; and

F gure 5 is a side elevational view, illus- :ratmg a slight modification of my inven- 1on. v Referring to Figures 1 to 4 of the drawings, whloh lllustrate one form of my invention, A designates a radiator such as is,

generally used in connection with Water cooled internal combustion engines for cooling the water that is used to absorb heatfrom the cylinders of the engine, and B designates a shutter mechanism that is used for controlling the passage of air through the radiator A, said shutter mechanism comprising slats or shutters 1 which are adapted I to be closed so as to diminish or out oil the flow of the air through the radiator when the engine is cold or at a low temperature, and thereafter opened to resume or increase the flow of the air through the radiator when the temperature of the engine rises. The shuttermechanism B preferably comprises aframe or caslng 2 which is so constructed that it can be slipped over or easily connectedin any other suitable manner to the shell of the radiator A, and the slats or shutters 1 are preferablyarranged horizontally and pivotally mounted in flanges 3 that project forwardly from the front side of the frame or casing 2,

as shown in Figure 4. In order to prevent the slats 1 from rattling and also enable said slats to be mounted easily in the frame B, I prefer to provide each slat atone end with a rigid trunnion 4 and at its opposite end with a spring-pressed trunnion 5, both of which have tapered or pointed ends that project into horizontally-aligned holes in the fiangesS on the frame 2. If desired, each slat can be provided with a pressed rib 6 of semi-circular shape in cross section, so as to reinforce and strengthen the slat and also provide a convenient means for attaching the trunnions to the slat, the rigid trunnion 4 being seated in the pressed rib 6 and soldered in position, and the springpressed trunnion being mounted in a tubular bearing 5 that is seated in the 'rib 6 and securely soldered in position. The slate 1 are connected together by an operatlng bar C that is pivotally connected to rearwardly-projecting arms Ton the slats 1,-

as shown clearly in F igure 2, said operating bar being adapted to be moved downwardly to open the slats or shutters 1 and upwardly to close said slats. The means for automatically governing the slats 1 of the shutter mechanism preferably consists of an electrically-operated mechanism that comprises electro-magnets or solenoids that are connected by means of. an actuating device with the operating bar C of the shutter mechanism a thermostat arranged so that it will be rendered'operative either by the heat that radiates forwardly from: the radiator A of the cooling system orrby the heat inside of the hood that encloses the engine, and contacts arranged in the circuits that energize said magnets or solenoids, said contacts being combined with the actuating device and the thermostat in such a manner that it will be impossible for the energizing circuit to remain closed long enough either to consume a considerable amount of current or to exhaust the battery in said circuit. In the form of my invention shown in Figures 1 to 3, inclusive, the electrically-operated means that governs the shutter mechanism is mounted on the frame or casing 2 of the shutter mechanism so as to form a selfcontained temperature regulator that can be easily applied as a single unit to the radiator A of the cooling system. Said electricallyoperated means preferably consists of an actuating device D consisting of a bell crank lever pivotally mounted on the frame 2 of the shutter mechanism at therear of the slats 1 and having its horizontal arm i-votally connected at 8 to the upper en' of the operating bar Q. The vertical arm of said bell crank lever is pivotally connected at its lower end to a rod 8 which is formed integral with or connected in any other preferred manner to the cores of two solenoids E and F. When the solenoid E is en-' ergized the bell crank lever or actuating device D swings in a direction to move the meagre shutters or move them towards their closed position. The circuits in which the solenoids E and F. are arranged are controlled by a thermostat G that co-operates with contacts .10 and 11 which are mounted on a bifurcated portion of the actuating devloe C, as shown 'in. Figure 3, thecontact 10 being connected b means of a wire 10" with the solenoid and the contact 11 being connected by means of a wire 11- with the solenoid F. The thermostat G is connected by means of a wire 12 with a battery 13 or other source of electrical energy, and the other side of said batten is connected by means of branches 13 and 13? with the solenoids E and F, respectively. Any suitable form of thermostat may-be used, butel' prefer to use a thermostat formed from two strips of metal which have different co-efiicients of expansion; for example,

a strip ofbrass a0 and a strip of steel 3 that are .connected together in such a manner'that they form a resilient arm which tends to buckle or assume a curved shape when it is heated by the heat that'radiates from the radiator A. In order that the thermostat Gamay be adjusted .so as to accurately regulate the opening and closing of the shutters 1, I have pivotally connected the thermostat at 14 to the frame 2 and have arranged an adjusting screw 15 and a spring 16 on the opposite sides of the pivot of the thermostat, as shown in Figure 3, so as to enable the free end of the thermostat -to be setproperly with relation to two stationarv"10o stops 17 and 18 that limit the movement of the thermostat in opposite directions.

Assuming that the thermostat G is so a d usted that it will bear against the stationary stop 17 when the slats 1 of the shutter, mechanism are closed and the engine with which the regulator is used is cold, the

heat that radiates from the radiator A when the engine is set in operation will cause the free end of the thermostat G to flex upwardly into engagement with the contact 10, thereby closing thecircuit in which the solenoid E is arranged. As soon as the solenoid E is energized the core of samewill move to the right, and thus cause the actu- 11 5 ating, device D to push the operating bar C downwardly and open the slats 1 partially. -Owing to the fact that the contact 10 carried by the-actuating device D, which. moves as soon as the solenoid E is energized, the circuit in which the solenoid E is arranged will be closed only for an instant and thereafter immediately opened, thus consuming very' little electric current. The slats l and actuating: device D are locked securely in the position into which they have been moved by means of a springpressed detent 19 that co-roperates with the rod 8 to which the lower end of the vertical arm of the actuating device D is pivotally connected. Consequently, the contact 10 will remain spaced away from the thermostat until the condition of the thermostat again changes. As the temperature of the engine increases more heat will radiate from the radiator A, thus raising the temperature of the thermostat G and causing it to buckle" ing device D starts to move. By the time the slats 1 have been fully opened, the thermostat G will be in engagement with the stop 18, the actuating device D being then held in such a position by the spring detent 19 that it is impossible for the thermostat to again engage the contact 10, even though the temperature of the thermostat becomes abnormal, due to overheating of the engine, from some abnormal cond tion, as, for example, insufiicient lubrication When the temperature of the engine decreases the heat that radiates from the radiator will decrease or diminish and immediately thereafter the thermostat will tend to straighten out. In flexing back to its normal condition the thermostat will engage the contact 11 and close the circuit in which the solenoid F is arranged, thereby causing the actuating device D to swing in a direction so as to move the operating bar C upwardly and move the shutters l towards their closed position.

As the heat from the radiator diminishes the thermostat will gradually straighten out and cause the shutters 1 to be moved step by step into their closed position, the sta-:

tionary stop 17 being so arranged that it will hold the thermostat G spaced away from. the contact 11 when the shutters 1 are completely closed.

While I prefer to mount the thermostat, the actuating device and the magnets or solenoids on the frame 2 of the shutter mechanism, so as to form a self-contained temperature regulator that can be applied as a single unit to the radiator of the cooling system, it is not essential that the electrically-operated controlling means he arranged in this manner, for if desired, said means can be arranged at the rear, of the radiator underneath the hood that encloses the engine. In Figure 5 of the drawings I have illustrated a temperature regulator constructed in this manner and comprising two solenoids ll' and F, an actuating device I) connected by means of a link with the operating bar of the shutter mechanism and a thermostat G for controlling the circuit in which said solenoids are arranged.

Having thus described my invention,'what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. A temperature regulator for engines, comprising a shutter mechanism arranged in proximity to the engine for regulating the supply of air used to cool the engine, an actuating device for said mechanism, solenoids for moving said device in opposite directions, spaced contacts on said actuating device, each of which is electrically connected to one of said solenoids, a thermostat connected to a source of electrical energy and interposed between said contacts, and means for limiting the movement of said thermostat in opposite directions.

2."A temperature regulator for engines, comprising a shutter mechanism arranged in proximity to the engine for regulating the supply of air used to cool the engine, an actuating device for said mechanism, solenoids for moving said device in opposite directions, spaced contacts on said actuating device, each of which is electrically connected to one of said solenoids, a thermostat connected to a source of electrical energy and interposed between said contacts, means'for limiting the movement of said thermostat in opposite directions, and a spring-pressed detent' that holds" said actuating device normally at rest.

3. A temperature regulator for engines, comprising a shutter mechanism arranged in proximity to the engine for regulating the supply of air used to cool the engine, an actuating device for said mechanism, solenoids for moving said actuating device in opposite directions, spaced contacts on said actuating devlice, each of which is electrically connected to one of said solenoids, a 1

thermostat connected to a source of electrical energy and interposed between said contacts, means for limiting the movement of said thermostat in opposite directions, a

spring-pressed detent that holds said actuating device normally at rest, and means foradjusting the thermostat relativel tothe means that limits the movement 0 same in opposite directions.

4. A temperature regulator for engines, comprising a shutter mechanism arranged in proximity to the engine for regulating the supply of air used to-cool theenglne, a pivotally-mounted, bell-crank-shaped actuatlng device for-said mechanism provided with a bifurcated-portion equipped with contacts that form parts of independent elertric circuits, solenoids in said circuits havlngthelr cores connected together by a rod which is pivotally connected to one arm of said actuating device, a spring-presseddetent that ('O-QPQl'fltQS with notches in said rod, and athermostat arranged between said contacts for closing the circuits in which said solenoids are arranged.

WILLIAM C. CARTER. 

